A Little Messed Up
by Taralara10
Summary: When Clary and Jace fist meet, they promise to be best friends but when Jace's cocky character gets in the way and they are sent off to the local high school after being homeschooled together, will things change for the better or worse?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my first Mortal Instruments Fan Fic, so I hope you like it and I am really excited for it! I do not own Mortal Instruments etc. only wish I do and only wish I was like Clary and have Jace as a boyfriend! I absolutely love the Mortal Instruments! Soo... I hope you like it and please comment and review and tell me if I need to improve on anything or just leave a comment to say you like it (if you like it!). Okay so I am blabbing... TaraLara10 xoxoxoxoxo**

** CLARY POV**

"Hey Daddy, who is that boy?" I ask, pointing at a lone boy standing by a large oak tree.

"Oh, that's Jace, he's Celine's son – you know mummy's friend?" Luke replied softly

"Do you think it will be okay to go and play with him?" I said

"Yeah, sure honey. Why don't you go and ask him?"

"Ok" I said simply, as I hopped off my chair

I stared at the boy who was leaning against the tree trunk (and had been for over half an hour) – his hair was golden and shining in the sun and he had golden skin too. He didn't look unfriendly or anything and everyone likes to play games right? I slowly walked over to him whilst nervously fidgeting with my cardigan sleeve, thoughts of Jace rejecting me and saying that only babies play games, like what Aline had said too me last week. I shook my head and fisted my hands to stop myself from playing with my sleeve. Jace had seen me walking over to him and was now watching me with curiosity in his eyes. I smiled and stuck my hand out in front of me to introduce myself (remembering what Luke had told me to do, when I first meet someone).

"My name is Clarissa, but everyone calls me Clary, because it's easier" I said smiling my brightest smile. He shook my hand and told me his name, even though I already knew it. Jace. That had to be short for something though, right?

"Do you want to play a game?" I asked, letting my eagerness get the better of me

"Yeah, okay." He said slowly, then he lightly tapped my arm and ran away. I didn't understand, did he not want to play? I felt tears spring to my eyes and I looked up to see that Jace had stopped running and was walking back over, with a confused expression on his face. "What's wrong?" he said softly, "I thought that we were playing tag?"

"Oh, I thought that you didn't want to play with me", I whisphered, shifting in embarrassment. Then I had an idea – I quickly tapped Jace on the shoulder then ran away giggling "You're up! Catch me if you can!". As I run away I turn around to see that Jace is not far behind. "Oh no you didn't! I'll get you!"

T_hat very same day Jace and I promised to be best friends no matter what._

_(9 years later)_

I lay in my sleeping bag on the floor at Jace's house watching 'Inception' with Jace. We were huddled together in the dim room solely focused on the plot of the film, which was too confusing for me to even understand. I can't believe I even let Jace pick a film in the first place.

"I don't understand Jace" I wined

"Shhh! Just watch the film. I _does _make sense, but your just too stupid to figure it out Clary" Jace mumbled, completely exasperated. He looked as he was a Mento about to be dropped into a bottle of coke. I completely ignored his current mood and decided to have a small hissy fit, just to see what he would do.

"Hey! Exscuse me, but I am a Shadowhunter! I am NOT stupid!" I joked, lightly punching Jace in the arm.

"Shh!" he replied, a smirk playing on his face. I giggled and my laugh was broke off by a yam and I could feel my eyelids fluttering and I desperately tried to keep them open, but I gave in and rested my head on Jace's shoulder.

**JACE POV**

I could feel Clary's head resting on my shoulder and I turned around to find her asleep. I could hear her soft breathing and the even beating of her heart. I carefully got up, trying desperately not to wake her and then picked her up in my arms, her head resting perfectly against my chest, causing me to smile at the thought. I put Clary down on my bed and pull the duvet over her. She looked so peaceful and perfect and so beautiful; her red waves spread out across my pillow in the shape of the sun. I quickly turned the film off and sat on the chair next to the bed and watched Clary sleep. She had a smile on her face and I hoped that she was dreaming of something nice. I closed my eyes and fell asleep dreaming about Clary.

I woke up to the feel of someone hitting me with a pillow, causing me to open my eyes to find Clary standing over me with a pillow dangling from her hands. She had one hand cocked on her hip and she was standing over me in her short pyjama pants and a thin camisole. I looked away quickly and rubbed my eyes to try and distract myself. I was her best friends and nothing more. "What time is it?" I moaned

"11:35" Clary said, a smirk on her face, "Do you want to grab some brunch?" She asked whilst jumping off the bed and dropping the pillow.

"Yeah sure" I mumbled, still tired

"OK! We need to get some school supplies for tomorrow as well." She reminded me. Oh great. We were no longer being home schooled, because the Lightwoods and Clary's parents had decided that we needed to mix with other kids, as home-tutoring was proving difficult on Clary's end. All she cared about was drawing and she would endlessly show me her newest drawings. She was really good though, in fact she was amazing.

I took the piece of paper out of Clary's fingers and read the list which she had written. I loved the look of Clary's handwriting; it was soft and delicate and somehow precise with the jointing and curls. Pens, paper, rucksack, calculator, trainer socks, sports sweatshirt and pants, pencil case, colouring pencils, sketch pencils and sketch pad.

"How long have you been up?" I asked looking up from the list and into her green eyes

"Oh only an hour or so..." Clary replied. I frowned. Why didn't she wake me up? As if sensing my thoughts, Clary continued, "I didn't want to wake you up. Besides it was a lot quieter when you were asleep! Now get up Mr. Lazy Pants or I will have to figure out a punishing rune for you!" she joked

**CLARY POV – 30 mins later **

I quickly pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and my favourite coral sweater, and then headed out of the door to the mall. As soon as I hopped in the car, I put my feet on the dashboard and turned on the radio. "That's what makes you beautiful" was on and I immediately started singing along. Jace on the other hand seemed disturbed by my singing and tried to change the channel. No chance. I slapped his hand, as I went towards the tune button. "You know, it would be less painful and cheesy if you just told me that you thought I was beautiful." Jace said.

"What?" I said, completely confused. Then the meaning dawned on me, "I am NOT singing to you!" I defended. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jace smirking. "It's not funny!" I insisted, lightly punching him in the arm

"Did you know that although many girls swoon at my feet, I only truly love one person and that is myself." Jace said, sneaking a glance my way

"Narcissistic much?" I said, "I knew that you were vain, but I never knew that you loved yourself with so much passion!" I exclaimed, turning to face him putting on my serious face.

"I occasionally turn myself down to keep it interesting" Jace snickered

"Really?" I asked trying to be gullible

"Yes" Jace said. He turned to face me and saw that I was "believing" him and his eyes widened in shock and immediately his mouth opened to explain, but the ringing of my mobile cut him off.

"Hey Izzy! What's the matter?" I asked, whist getting out of the car. I dropped my keys and bent down to retrieve them, but someone else beat me to it. I looked up to see Jace, the keys dangling from his fingers.

"Thanks" I mouthed, standing up again

"Clary do you where Jace is? Some girl called Aline is here to speak to him" Izzy answered

"Aline?"  
"Yeah"  
Aline. The name echoed around in my head and I felt jealously rise up in my throat, but not before I pushed it back down again with a smile. Jace and I were only friends and nothing more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi Guys! Chapter Two! Yay! I really hope you like chapter one and hope you like this chapter too! Please review and comment on and tell me if I need to improve on something or just to tell me what you think so far. Reading reviews motivates me and seriously makes my day A LOT better, so please review! Enjoy! TaraLara10 xoxoxoxo**

**CLARY POV**

Aline. The name echoed around in my head and I felt jealously rise up in my throat, but not before I pushed it back down again with a smile. Jace and I were only friends and nothing more. Jace said something along the lines of asking Izzy to call him later and I nodded numbly in response. "Sorry about that. Kind of a mood killer, huh?" Jace mumbled, his hands dragging down his face.

"I'll tell Izzy for you" I replied, completely ignoring his previous statement. I placed the phone back against my ear and told Izzy what Jace had said

"Thank goodness. By the Angel, this girl is a complete –"

"OK. Izzy I get the point. I'll talk to you later, okay?" I laughed, a smile tugging on my lips

"I am being serious! Did Jace pick this girl up at the supermarket or something? Have you seen what this girl is wearing?! On second thoughts I'm thinking that he picked her up from the streets! I will be having words with Jace later and make sure you tell him! Love you Clary, bye!" and with that Izzy hung up. I turned around to see Jace facing me_. How awkward_. "Izzy said that she will be having words with you later" I mumbled to Jace, trying desperately not to look him in the eye and covering it up by taking my list out of my bag. I don't wait for his response, but instead head towards the store.

"Wait. Where are you going?" he says, catching my arm. What do you mean where am I going, you idiot? We came here to get supplies! I point at the store and then dangle the list in front of his eyes to emphasise my point.

"Oh, right!" Jace said, laughing it off

I stalk towards the shop and grab a red basket at the entrance. Why am I even angry? Jace is my FRIEND. I need to get over myself. I'm not even good enough for him or vaguely similar to any of the girls that Jace has been bringing home lately from the club or anywhere really. He attracts the complete opposite types of girls. I have no curves, stupid curly hair that cannot be tamed by anything (unless under the control of Izzy), I am 5ft nothing and basically look like Little Red Riding Hood. Oh and least I forget that I am practically flat chested. I laugh at myself, going so low as to wallow in self pity. What would Izzy say to me, if she was here and I smiled at the different possibilities.

**JACE POV**

Oh great. Clary was peeved off. The only reason why I went out with girls like Aline was because Clary didn't want me or didn't want me the way I wanted her. She didn't love me as a boyfriend; she loved me like a brother, right? I shook my head and decided to ignore her annoyance and anger, which was radiating off her like an active volcano. I tried to pretend that Izzy never rang about Aline in the first place.

Once we had entered the shop, Clary went one way and I went the other to get the things we needed. I picked up a pair of trainer socks, a pack of pens and pencils, when I suddenly realised that it was Clary's birthday in less than a week. I needed to get her something special; really special. I stood in the queue thinking of ideas of what to get her, when I heard a loud crash behind me. Immediately I span around only to be faced with Clary urgently trying to pick up several packs of pencils, which had fallen from the shelf. She had almost finished placing the packs back on the shelves, but I went over to her anyway.

Afterwards I joined the queue with Clary and resumed my birthday gift ideas for Clary. I noticed that Clary was talking to an old woman in front of us about something. I tuned into the conversation and looked up at them both. The woman had soft grey eyes and hair to match.

"I saw you over there trying to pick up those pencils. I would have helped you, but I recently had an operation on my back, you see. It was a good job your brother helped you, wasn't it?" the lady said

"Brother? Oh, no. He's not my brother." Clary corrected, with a look of shock and horror on her face.

"I didn't think he was your brother. He's your boyfriend isn't he? You can just tell by the way you look at each other." The lady answered, her eyes holding some sort of certainty. Huh. Yeah right. I wish - that she was my girlfriend! The look of horror on her face just said it all. Confusion? Shock? There was something else, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Clary didn't reply but she said something under her breath, along the lines of, "Yeah, I was thinking friends" What was that supposed to mean?

**CLARY POV**

The ride home could not have been any more awkward. Jace had heard what the old woman had said. Her words kept running though my head over and over again. "He's your boyfriend isn't he?" I shivered from the memory and Jace must have noticed because he turned the heating up in the car. "You can just tell by the way you look at each other." Well I know how I look at Jace, but I don't know how Jace looks at me... Did that mean he had the same feelings as me? No, of course not. He doesn't like girls like me. Just friends. Thank fully the silence was saved by the ringing of my mobile. I checked the caller ID and it was Izzy. My saviour!

"Hey Izzy!" I said

"Hey Clary! Did you have fun?" said Izzy

"Umm, yeah I guess so" I replied, the scene with the old woman replaying over in my head

"What's wrong? What happened? Clary? Hello?" Izzy shrieked. I hadn't even realised that I had spaced out, until I heard death threats vibrating through my phone.

"Huh. I'm fine. Calm down Izzy!" I tried to reassure her

"No, you are _not _'fine'. You are coming over for a sleepover and you are going to spill the beans. Do you understand me?" Izzy said

"Yes, I understand" I mumbled, like a child obeying their mother

"Well then, I shall see you soon!" and with that she hung up, leaving only the beeping of the receiving end for company.

Jace dropped me off at my house, without so much as a word. I gave a small smile, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. What was the saying friends before boyfriends. Or as Izzy said, sisters before misters. I quickly packed my bag and grabbed a chocolate bar, then headed over to Izzy's, only to be met with a dark haired girl, in Jace's shirt. Aline.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! This is chapter 3! I really hope you like this chapter, so please review and comment and tell me what you think so far and whether I need to improve on anything or even ideas for what I should do next! I really hope you like it, so enjoy! TaraLara10 xoxoxoxoxo**

**CLARY POV**

Oh my goodness. What was Aline doing here? Could my day get any worse? First the lady at the store, now Aline at Izzy's house and no doubt she was here to see Jace. Fan-tastic. A nasal like voice pulled me out of my thoughts and plummeting back down to reality.

"I thought you only had one sister? The other one was pretty, but this one looks a mess. She doesn't even look like you." Aline said, her head half turned inside, so that Jace could hear her. She turned towards me and put her hands on her hips like a stubborn child, "Anyway, what do you want? If you didn't notice already, I am kind of in the middle of something here" she said gesturing to her current appearance, which literally made me want to vomit in a nearby bush. She made me so angry and fired up. I couldn't keep the anger down and before I knew it, I was screaming at the girl.

"First of all, I didn't come here to see you, I came here to see Izzy – " I said

"Whose Izzy?" she said faking innocence

"The 'pretty one'" I said, quoting her previous statement

"Oh, well she left about ten minutes ago" she said, trying to get back behind the door. Oh no, she was NOT getting away with this that easily.

"Are you sure? Because if I remember –" I started, but was cut off by a low moan coming from somewhere in the house. A drunk, golden haired boy appeared behind the door and squinted in the daylight at the scene between Aline and I. He probably thought she was arguing with an unfortunate neighbour or delivery person, which explained why his mouth was in the shape of an 'o' and his eye wide with shock and something deeper, dread. I on the other hand, had the same expression on my face; Jace was stood there in nothing but a pair of jeans which hung low on his hips and Aline appeared to be wearing Jace's shirt. I had to tear my eyes away from Jace and take a deep breath, to form a sentence. I could feel the anger and jealously seeping through my veins, poisoning my heart, but I pushed it down.

"Izzy told me to come round here because she needed to talk to me about something 'urgent'" I explained, trying desperately not to look into Jace's eyes or at Jace at all, even if that meant looking at Aline, my new enemy. I thought it would probably be good to miss out the sleepover part, as I really did not want to sleep at Izzy's that night.

"Oh right, well she's not here at the moment, but you can come in if you like and wait for her..." he mumbled, a contorted expression on his face

"No, I think I will wait at home" I said turning around to head back down the steps. I was so focussed on getting out of there, that I missed the step and nearly fell on my butt if it were not for Jace who caught me by my arm, after I hit my head on the stair. Part of me wanted to lash out at Jace even though I knew I would never win and the other part wanted Jace to do what he did best; catch me when I fall. That was my last thought before the darkness swallowed me whole.

**JACE POV**

So far today, everything has gone fan-tastic. Firstly this morning I had all of that stuff with the old woman, regarding the way Clary and I look at each other and then I had to deal with Aline, and now I have to deal with an unconscious Clary because she had seen it all. I don't even know if I should take Clary to the hospital, but I rang Izzy and she said to put her down on her bed and keep and eye on her. Several questions keep going through my thoughts: What happens if she has a concussion? What happens if she has cracked her skull? What happens if she wakes up and she doesn't remember me? What happens if she doesn't wake up? What happens if she gets really angry when she wakes up?

Suddenly I heard the front door slam and urgent footsteps up to the bedroom. I turned around and Izzy ran through the room and dumped her bag on the floor next to the bed. Immediately she turned on me and started screaming that it was all my fault that her friend was unconscious and if I hadn't had Aline round in my shirt, then Clary would be awake and happy.

"You idiot! I can't even trust you for one minute! I am gone for five minutes to get some milk and I come back and find my friend unconscious!" she screamed whilst running her hand down her face. I didn't say anything because I knew that what Izzy had said was true. It was all my fault that Clary was in this state. I had, like always messed everything up. I had to make snide, sarcastic comments in bad enough situations and I had to make people jealous to point where they want to rip my hair out. But the one person I didn't want to hurt was Clary. She was the most important thing in the world to me, even though I never told her it. I sighed and sat down in the chair in the corner of the room and placed my head in my hands, hoping that Clary would wake up some time soon.

**CLARY POV**

I woke to a thumping headache and a swelling bruise on the back of my head. I winced and tried to peel my eyes open, only to wish I had kept them closed. Jace was sat across the edge of the room, with his head in his hands and a serious expression on his face. It was weird to look at him like this, so focussed and distracted. However the moment ended when Jace looked up and saw me watching him. _How awkward_. I averted my eyes and pretended to finger an imaginary hole in my trouser leg, but Jace caught my hand to stop me. I rolled my eyes and looked for Izzy.

"How are you feeling?" Jace said, still holding my hand

"Just peachy. Where is Izzy? She is back right?" I asked whilst trying to hide the desperation in my voice.

"Yeah, she's just in her room" he replied

"Oh okay. I think that I will just quickly see Izzy and then go home." I said whilst swinging my legs off the side of the bed and running past Jace, despite my thumping headache.

"Do you need some Tylenol?" Jace said, whilst following me out of the door

"No, I'm fine." I called back to him

As soon as I ran into Izzy's room, I was greeted by a smothering hug and lot's of questions on my condition. "Are you okay? Do you have a headache? Has Jace given you some Tylenol?" To all of those questions my reply was a simple, "I'm fine"

"That's perfect! Because I was thinking that maybe we could go to the Pandemonium as a get well after-gift!" she exclaimed. The excitement in her eyes was scary; they were so big and bright, which made me feel guilty if I were to say no.

"Okay then...but I don't have anything to wear" I pointed out

"That's perfect! I got you a dress, while you were sleeping!" She said, turning around to her closet and pulling out a tight fitted black dress. Immediately denials came screaming into me head, but I calmed them down and put on a small smile. Izzy took my smile as a "green light" to continue and she pushed me down on her chair and started on my makeup, then hair and finally a quick lesson in how to walk in high heels. Once I was finished I put the dress on carefully and stared at myself in the mirror. Izzy had made a miracle happen with my hair, which was fixed into perfect waves and my makeup made me look more my age. The black eye shadow she had used made my green eyes pop and she had contoured my face so that it looked slim and perfect. I squealed in delight and hugged Izzy, thanking her for what she had turned me into and for buying me a new dress.

We walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where Izzy said she needed to give me something. She made me wait there, whilst she quickly hurried off to get some emergency supplies of lip gloss and lip balm. I gave her a questioning look, but took them anyway; dropping them into my sparkly black clutch.

"Izzy!" a voice moaned through the house, "Where are you?"

"I'm down here Jace! Hurry up, because Clary and I are going out!" she replied, her voice echoing around the house.

Jace hurried down the stairs and I went to grab some water, so that I wouldn't have to look at him. Suddenly his footsteps stopped and I turned round to see what was happening. I looked at Izzy and she was snickering under her breath, then I looked at Jace and he had this weird look on his face.

"What's going on? What's so funny?" I asked, innocently

"What's going on? Jace is drooling!" Izzy laughed

"No, I'm not" Jace replied, his voice a bit uneven. I smiled inwardly at the thought of Jace drooling, like a dog.

"Yes, you are. Jace was drooling over Clary!" Izzy clarified in a sing-song voice

I looked at Jace and his eyes raked up and down what I was wearing and then he looked me in the eyes and gave me a small smile. I nearly returned the smile, but thought back to this mornings incident and that took away any impulse to smile back. Jace's smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and soon he was back to his usual self.

"I was just wondering where you were going, but I think that your outfits speak for themselves. I guess I will see you later" and with that Jace headed back up the stairs. I thought back to the situation this morning, where Jace was with Aline. It was time for some serious payback. Revenge is sweet!


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! This is chapter 4! I really hope you like this chapter, so please review and comment and tell me what you think so far and whether I need to improve on anything or even ideas for what I should do next! I really hope you like it, so enjoy! P.S I am really sorry that I didn't update sooner! TaraLara10 xoxoxoxoxo**

**JACE POV**

Clary looked good, really good. In fact she looked beautiful, but she looked better with her wild, fiery curls instead of her tamed waves. Izzy had made Clary's green eyes stand out and the dress she had chosen hugged her body in all the right places. It was obvious that Clary felt uncomfortable in the dress, but she also had this weird look on her face; almost as if she were plotting an evil scheme. I wouldn't blame her if she were, however the thought of her with another guy made me want to tear the guy's head off, hell with that tear my own _hair_ out. And that was saying something. I couldn't picture her with anyone other than me, not even a really nice guy who really loved her.

On top of that I had drooled in front of Clary, it wouldn't have been so bad if Izzy hadn't noticed, but she did and boy she was going to tease me endlessly for it. It was embarrassing and I tried to lighten the mood by smiling at Clary, but she didn't even smile back. She just looked back at me with cold, empty eyes. She was pretending that I didn't exist or she was thinking about Aline and I. I needed to apologise to Clary soon, otherwise Izzy would become her knew best friend and already I missed Clary. I missed her glowing smile and her bright green eyes and the movie marathons we had together. I missed going on demon hunts with her and drawing runes on her arms to protect her.

I headed back downstairs once Clary and Izzy had left, and watched as they hailed a taxi without looking back. I grabbed an ice cream tub from the fridge and turned the television on. The turned it off. I needed to get Clary to like me again and so needed to get her the perfect birthday gift; something that she would remember and that meant something important to me and to her at the same time ... something that would keep our friendship together and show how much I care about her at the same time. Every girl likes jewellery right? Immediately I called a taxi and went into the local jeweller and asked them what they would get for a best friend for their birthday.

"Well it depends, sir. What gender is your friend?" he replied with a composed look on his face

"My friend is female" I said mimicking his facial expression and tone

"Do you love your friend?" he asked, catching me off guard.

"Well I love her more than anything in the world, but she is my best friend so..." I said opening myself up to the stranger

"Ahh ... forbidden love" he said simply, as if that explained everything. What was wrong with this person? I had just met him and he already had my whole life planned out. Creepy mundane.

"You could get her a friendship ring and engrave it with a quote or sentence of your choice. It gives it a nice personal touch, if I might say" he said. A friendship ring? It sounded nice; I could even hang it from my favourite chain that I always wear.

"Yeah I'll get one of those...please" I said. The man raised his eyebrows and took a ring out of a small blue box. It was silver and looked so delicate and it instantly reminded me of Clary.

"What would you like to engrave it with?" he asked

"Like this ring, our friendship will be a never ending circle" I replied, just thinking of something on the spot. The man boxed the ring up and told me to collect the ring tomorrow once it was engraved. I smiled at my success and I knew Clary was going to love this gift and had a feeling that she was going to let me be her friend again.

**CLARY POV**

The Pandemonium was dark and stuffy; people were jumping up and down to the beat of the music. Bright coloured lights flashed in all directions and the music pulsed loudly throughout the rooms – already I had a headache and wanted to go home. I went to the bar to get a drink and nearly tripped over someone's bar stool, but not before someone caught me by my arms. I looked up into dark back pools of eyes and immediately felt unsettled, but hid away my unease by a fake smile.

"Thank you so much. I'm a bit clumsy..." I explained, tugging a loose curl behind my ear. I looked at the boy again and not only did he have dark eyes, but he had dark hair, as black as night. He didn't look like he had naturally dark hair, he looked more like a blonde... The boys hands went up to his hair as if sensing my thoughts.

"My friend thought that it was funny to put dye in my shampoo" he said, not quite meeting my eyes. _Liar_, I thought, but I decided to play along with his games. After all, tonight I am a mundane – free as a bird.

"Thankfully I don't have friends like that, although one time my friend thought that it was funny to put a dead cockroach in my cereal" I said sweetly, whilst gagging at the thought of Izzy doing that.

"What do you class as a good friend then?" he asked, obviously intrigued by my story. It's like putting out a treat for your fat cat – it follows immediately.

"Well to be honest, I did draw all over her face when she was sleeping." He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "She's a really deep sleeper" I said, as if that explained everything.

"Ohh, right. Do you want a drink?" he asked politely

"Yeah, thank you" I said. We headed over to the bar and he bought me a diet coke. For the rest of the night we just talked and exchanged numbers. He seemed like a nice person and was quite funny. _Yeah but not as funny as Jace_, my subconscious thought.

I got up and pulled my coat on and headed out the club door with Izzy to go home, when the boy grabbed my arm and span me round to face him.

"I didn't catch your name" he said, with a smirk on his face

"Clary" I replied, with a warm smile. I raised my eyebrows as if to say, _"and yours"_

He paused for a moment before answering, "Sebastian".

The rest of the journey back to the Izzy's was a blur – Izzy was talking about some boy she met who was nerdy and had brown hair or something. All I could think about was Sebastian. I had this weird feeling that I had met him before and I couldn't shake it off.

"Clary? Clary? CLARY!" Izzy said impatiently

"Huh?" I said, turning away from the window to face her

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you? Oh well, who was the boy you were talking with the whole night?" she asked, whilst graciously stepping out of the cab and opening the front door

"I – I – I didn't talk to him the _whole_ night" I defended

"Yes you did! Admit it! Ahhh, I see what's going on here; you like that guy don't you?"

"I wouldn't say like, more like intrigued by him..." I explained

"Don't try and deny it. He was hot anyway. Smokin' baby!" Izzy squealed

"Who's hot?" someone from inside asked

"Clary's new boyfriend!" Izzy said

"He's not my boyfriend!" I insisted, "I just talked to him for a while, that's all"

"He _will_ be your boyfriend, once I'm finished with you. You even have his number!" she pushed. I looked at Jace, realising that he hadn't said anything in a while and saw that he was all tensed up and his hands were in fists by his sides.

"I am NOT going to call him back. There was something weird about him and I felt like I had seen him before." I explained hurriedly, but it was no use Izzy was pulling me up the stairs to her bedroom – looked like I was staying the night. Our first day of school was tomorrow and no doubt Izzy was planning on making an impression for the both of us. I mouthed a quick "help me" to Jace, before I was pulled up the stairs.

I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth before bed, when I bumped into Jace. He looked like he was stressing out and so I put our problems behind us for the moment.

"What's the matter?" I asked

"Oh, its nothing... never mind." He replied, not quite meeting my eyes.

"Don't you lie to me Jace Herondale! What's the matter?" I asked again, this time showing that I meant it.

"Well I was just stressing that nothing bad happened at the Pandemonium, that's all..." he said awkwardly, whilst trying to use his hair to cover his embarrassment.

"Oh. Well nothing bad happened..." I said, just as awkwardly, "actually did we used to be friends with someone called Sebastian – black hair, black eyes?" I asked, looking at Jace. He immediately tensed up and worry shone in his eyes and something else, fear?

"Why?" he said quickly. He had turned around to face me and his hands were on either side of my arms, forcing me to look into his eyes.

**JACE POV**

Sebastian! Oh god…. I tensed up immediately, and began panicking about why Clary was suddenly asking questions about him. How could she not remember him?! He treated like dirt and used her!

"Clary… the guy you met wasn't Sebastian was it?" I asked, urgently with my hand still firmly on Clary's shoulders

"Why?" she said wearily

"Was he?!" I practically half shouted. Clary avoided my eyes and found something very interesting about the floor

"Maybe…."she said, her voice low and confused

"DO NOT see him again, okay? Please just don't, okay?" I pleaded, releasing my hands from her arms

"Why not" she asked. I could hear the frustration seeping into her voice. _Please don't make this difficult, please, I thought_

"Just don't, okay. I am trying to help you, I promise" I said, trying to get Clary to understand and just let it go

"I can do what I want Jace! Just tell me why I shouldn't talk to him, please?" she begged

"I can't tell you okay? Just let it go and don't call him again! I'm trying to protect you! Why don't you believe me?" I shouted

"Don't tell me what to do! You're not my dad or my brother Jace! You're my friend and meant to be supportive! I will call and meet up with Sebastian if I want to, so back off Jace!" she spat. I flinched at her words, knowing that she was right and th fact that she no longer trusted me. Anger and hurt bubbled up inside of me, making me feel like a furnace.

"Well don't come running to me when he hurts you!" I retaliated, instantly regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth.

"I –"

"Save it Jace – I get the point and I'll make it easier for you, okay? I won't be talking to you again" she said, her voice showing no emotion. It was as if she were a robot, incapable at feeling anything. With that Clary span round, leaving me standing by myself in the corridor. It felt like I was standing on the other side of the world to Clary; without her the corridor seemed dark and lifeless. I shivered at her sudden absence and went back to my room, thinking about what Clary had said.

I sighed and lay down on my bed with a "thump". Flashbacks of Clary's and I first encounter with Sebastian, when we were eleven years old crowded my thoughts.

_ "Time for a campfire everyone!" shouted one of the camp leaders. Everyone cheered in response and ran over to the flaming fire, eager to roast their marshmallows._

_"Looks like we have our own fire over here" someone teased. Immediately I span around, whilst grabbing Clary's hand in my own. It was so small and delicate; I was worried I would crush it if I were not careful._

_"What do you want?" I hissed at the dark haired boy_

_"Just some fun. What are you going to do about it?" he taunted, excitement sparkling in his dark abyss of eyes_

_"Just leave her alone," I said with finality. Obviously the boy didn't understand that he was getting on my nerves. I saw him glance briefly at my Clary's hand in mine and jealously flashed across his expression, as fast as lightning, before it quickly returned back to his smug expression._

_"Worried about some competition?" he sneered, stepping closer_

_"He's NOT my boyfriend, he is my BEST friend – which by the way is far more important. So just mind your own business and leave us alone!" Clary snapped, determination shining in her beautiful green eyes. And with that, Clary dragged me away from the boy, before I caused some serious damage._

The meaning of Clary's words dawned on me "he's not my boyfriend; he is my best friend, which is far more important!" I realised that I needed to focus on getting my best friend back, before it was too late.


	5. Chapter 5

**HI GUYS! I am really sorry that I have not update in a month and I have no excuse other than being really busy! I hope you like this chapter and I have made it longer than the others as a "sorry gift" for not updating. I do not own MI, Cassandra Clare does! I hope you like this chapter! Please review and comment! TaraLara10 xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo**

**CLARY POV**

I barely slept that night; all I could think about was what Jace had said and how much his words had hurt me. Tomorrow Jace, Izzy and I were starting at the new school and according to Izzy; I needed to make an impression.

"Rise and shine Clary!" Izzy squealed, shaking me out of my sleep and dragging me out of bed. I rubbed my eyes and opened them to find that Izzy was already dressed, and she looked good.

"What time did you wake up?" I asked, knowing fully well that it took Izzy forever to get ready

"Early. Now, I have already picked out your outfit out and thank the Angel its hot outside!" she exclaimed. I took a quick glance out of the window and saw heat waves on top of Izzy's car. Suddenly Izzy chucked a pair of short denim shorts at me and a white lace flowy tank top. I had to admit, Izzy knew my style really well and I loved the outfit choice. As soon as I had my clothes on, Izzy pushed me into the chair in front of her vanity table and set to work on my makeup.

I gasped at my reflection in the mirror; Izzy had worked a miracle with my hair – it was in perfect waves with the odd small mini braids in it. She had used minimal makeup on my face, mascara on my eyes and tinted lipbalm for my lips. I smiled and hugged Izzy, whilst thanking her for what she had done. Izzy replied by handing me some sunglasses and shoving my backpack into my hands, along with my sandals.

**JACE POV**

I still felt bad for what I had said last night to Clary and was desperately thinking up ways to apologise and confront her. Clary's sweet laugh brought me back to the present and I looked up to see Clary and Izzy chatting away happily. Clary looked beautiful and I had to grab hold of the chair I was sat on, the stop me from jumping up and kissing her.

"Hey Jace!" Izzy said casually, sitting in the chair next to me. I replied by looking up and mumbling a quick "Morning" to her. Clary was sat across from me, with her phone in her hand and a smile on her face. I tensed up realising that she was probably texting Sebastian.

Izzy drove us to school in her new car and started talking about how it was important to make a good first impression. Her advice was to not act suspicious, because for all we knew there could be Downworlders and other Shadowhunters at the school.

I allowed myself a quick glance at Clary and noticed that she was staring absentmindedly out the window. Izzy must have noticed me staring at her, because she coughed randomly and shot me dagger eyes through the rear-view mirror.

**CLARY POV**

For the whole of the journey to school, I felt Jace's gaze on me. I caught him a few times in the mirror and he would turn away for a few seconds, only to look back and continue staring. Couldn't he take a hint?

The walk through to the principal's office was worse though – Izzy was stood in front and Jace and I on either side of her. Everyone was staring at us and they didn't even try to be discrete.

"That guy looks like a Greek god!" a girl whispered to her friend, causing Jace to smirk

"Dibs on the girl upfront look at her curves!" a boy hissed to his mates

"Nah, I think little red over there" a boy said, "Where have you been all my life babe?" At this is I felt Jace tense up beside me and I smiled inwardly. I span around to face the boy and said innocently, "hiding from you". I added a wink for good measure and watched as a smirk spread on the guys face. Jace visibly relaxed, then tensed up again when he realised that I had winked and was flirting.

When we reached the school reception we were handed our time tables and Izzy began to compare with me. Jace and I had first and second period together, whereas I had the rest of my lessons with Izzy. My only thought was: how was I going to confront Jace?

I waved goodbye to Izzy and wished her good luck with her first two lessons – not that she would need it, and then walked down the corridor with Jace to my next lesson. The silence was smothering, I didn't know what to say and I was desperately trying to think of something in my head.

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight, with me?" Jace suddenly said, "You know – like how we used to..." I wanted things to go back to normal, but was worried Jace would go and leave me for a girl like Aline again, forgetting all about me. Jace saw my hesitation and added, "We can talk, if want" his voice taking a newfound softness.

I couldn't shake off what he had said to me yesterday and was still hurting from it.

"I'm really sorry, Clary. I am. I really miss talking and hanging out with you, please?" Jace said, grabbing my hand so that he could pull me to face him.

"I'm sorry too, Jace. Of course I want to watch a movie with you" I said, managing a smile. Before I knew what was happening, Jace pulled me into a hug and rested his head on the top of mine. My breath caught in my throat, surprised at what was happening, but the moment ended too quickly and Jace pulled away, with my favourite crooked smile on his face. Together we walked to class, Jace behind me – his hand on the small of my back, lightly pushing me forwards.

As soon as we stepped through the classroom, everyone went silent. Then someone spoke up and said, "Clary?" I turned around and saw a boy stood at the back of the classroom, a boy with dyed black hair and dark eyes.

"Sebastian?"


End file.
